Sunderland defender Titus Bramble says players throughout the squad need to contribute to the club's goal tally to ease the burden on the strikers.

The Wearsiders have scored only once in four games, with midfielder Sebastian Larsson netting the equaliser in last month's 1-1 draw with Liverpool.

"We didn't do so well last year, as we relied too heavily on our strikers," Bramble told BBC Newcastle.

"This year we need to make sure we chip in from all parts of the team."

Steve Bruce's side scored 45 league goals last season, the lowest tally of any side in the top half of the Premier League, with Asamoah Gyan and January-departure Darren Bent accounting for 18 of those.

Meanwhile Bramble is yet to make an appearance for the Black Cats this season, largely due to the form of Wes Brown and Anton Ferdinand at centre-back.

However the departure of Ferdinand to Queens Park Rangers has potentially opened the door for the ex-Wigan defender in the lead-up to Saturday's visit of Chelsea to the Stadium of Light.

"We're disappointed Anton [Ferdinand] has left, he's a great guy to have around the dressing room

Titus BrambleSunderland defender

"Football is a crazy game, you don't know what happens from one day to the next," Bramble added.

"We're disappointed Anton has left. He's a great guy to have around the dressing room, he picks everyone up when they're down but he's gone and we have to get over that.

"It frees up a space, but there's myself, Michael Turner, Wes Brown and John O'Shea who all want to play in that position."

Bramble made 24 appearances in his first season on Wearside following a £1m move from Wigan Athletic in July 2010.

You can hear more from Titus Bramble on BBC Newcastle's Total Sport programme on Tuesday, 6 September, and on listen again on the iPlayer for seven days.